Forecast CLOUDY For IT Jobs and Vendors

Wake up and smell the drought. IT infrastructure jobs fast evaporating…

via The Morning Download: Cloud’s Impact on Traditional IT Vendors Looks Increasingly Serious, JPMorgan Chase Says – The CIO Report – WSJ

“41.6% of corporate workloads at big companies are expected to be running in the public cloud within the next five years, up from 16.2% today.”

Hey, this is no happy blog post. Techwite wants to help, Techwite wants to be positive. And Techwite also wants to speak the truth. Sometimes that means taking a look at what is happening and discussing it. If that’s not for you, skip this. I’ll have a Tip soon about iCloud Calendars. Otherwise, if you have more information or comments about this post, join in.—TW 

Make no mistake, moving to “the cloud” is part of a trend to shift as much of corporate IT as possible into a commodity subscription service, like electricity.  Billed monthly by volume used, managed offsite, no local server upgrades or software updates, maintained by somebody else. The WSJ article referenced here concerns itself chiefly with the effect on the investment world of mega-cloud vendors Microsoft and Amazon on their smaller rivals Oracle and IBM. But from a human standpoint, your local IT, your local data center, your local administrator, your local Help Desk, THEY (and if you are one of these people, I am talking about you)—ARE ALL GOING AWAY.

“Hybrid Cloud” and “Middleman” Hosting is a stepping stone. You’re company isn’t putting everything in the Cloud? Not yet? Accenture, IBM, Dell—somebody like that—can take care of your local IT administration requirements! They’ll manage your relationship with Microsoft, and for now you can tell everyone you are “going to Office 365” although technically, you’re not. (That would be using Microsoft totally as your host for Office…)

Your IT Infrastructure Director may optimistically tell you, “Don’t worry, we’ll need someone to engage in ‘vendor management‘, someone who understands Infrastructure…, and heck, if you get on well with them, maybe you can work for the hosting vendor!”

If you know your stuff, you can probably point out that your “hosting vendor” is missing the boat with Microsoft Exchange backups, mobile security, a proprietary and non-standard archive solution that “locks you in”, and inefficient mail routing. But how long will that save your job if you are seen as a bump in the road to “the full Cloud”? And will that endear you to your potential new employer? Remember, the CIO wants his IT Infrastructure to be as easy to manage and replace as an iPad.

Meanwhile, the data center/hosting company is getting squeezed on both ends and trying to survive a similar change. How long can they compete with their big brother—and former mentor? Does anyone need a middle man?? Your Account Manager’s boss is telling him, “Don’t worry, we’ll probably get absorbed by Microsoft. And either way, you can probably work for them!”

We are seeing a massive consolidation and centralization of data and processing, and elimination of jobs. In addition to the stripping of jobs as the infrastructure ascends to the cloud, much of the work that was outsourced to cheaper labor sources will soon be automated—think robots and “chatbots“. There are going to be fewer and fewer jobs in IT Infrastructure. (Coincidentally,  last week the Verizon strike provided an example of this shift:  The Verizon Strike Signals a Larger Economic Battle.)

What about the people? The overall trend is clear for companies, especially large companies, and service organizations. But what about at the individual level? The level of the gal or guy in IT today? IT is the “service economy” equivalent of the Detroit factory job in the manufacturing economy of 20 years ago. This is just the beginning. Clearly there will be some jobs in hands-on management of Cloud services, such as AWS, and there is still time and opportunity for corporations and small businesses to hang onto that shred of control. As for other opportunities in IT? Infrastructure is going to shrink drastically or disappear altogether. That leaves software development. Web development, mobile apps, databases. The skills will be needed and they are constantly churning, so those who can stay on top of the latest development trends will likely stay employed.

Many of these trends are going to affect the rest of the economy as well. The Uberization of driving jobs will soon shift to autonomous cars and robot assisted shipping. Even the old saw about finding a job “flipping burgers” will not hold true for much longer. Where will people find work? That I would like to know.

“…we have to make sure that we have the kinds of policies here at home where we provide people with the skills they need to get the jobs that are available in the economy…”
—US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, interview with Kai Ryssdal, Marketplace

Yes, Jack, we need to be sure that people are trained up for those jobs. But what are those jobs? And where are they? Where are they?

— Techwite

Apple Flashback 2006: Weird News

Looking back at 2015 – News about labor practices in China, wearables, and Big Tech in politics. But wait! This is from 2006. Tempora mutantur?

Apple’s Bad News? – The business news is alive with stories that Apple’s iPods are built by virtual slave labor in China. [Isn’t that true of all manufactured goods from China?] Does make you wonder how prices are going to stay low when the rest of the world asks for a decent wage. Apple has stated it will ‘investigate’ since this clearly runs against their corporate philosophy.

Nike Deal Borgs Nano Runners – In one more of an endless onslaught of new products and technical innovations from Apple, Nike and Apple are co-advertising the “Nike Runner’s Kit” for iPod Nanos. The kit consists of a wireless sensor that goes in your shoe, a receiver that attaches to your iPod Nano, and software. Once configured, the runner can receive real-time audio feedback in his headphones, as the ‘kit’ tracks speed, distance, and calories burned. Does it also monitor pulse and heartrate? After exercise, the runner can sych the data with software on his Mac or PC, and even upload it to a web site where he can compete with other runners.

Grand Old Party Usurps Flag, is iPod Next? – Do not misunderestimate the significance of President Bush’s fondness for his iPod. For providing an opportunity for local Republicans to discuss how to further control the media, monitor all forms of communication for un-patriotic behaviour, enhance corporate profits, and further modify the tax code to their advantage, the RNC rewards ‘coffee’ hosts with a customized iPod, wrapped in a red, white, and blue flag decal!

Hillary’s Hits Hit the News – But wait! Just when this party starts to fade, we’ve got news of Hillary’s iPod, and my gosh, what’s on it?? It was Bill’s gift to her, and it’s full of Eagles, Beatles, pretty much what you would expect. Jeez. Everybody wants to be a cat. 🙂

Can the Democrats top the GOP marketing coup with their own promotional video iPod to big donors? Rumors assert it will contain denial sound bytes and contradictory truths from the current administration, including:

• “There absolutely are WMD”
• “Mission accomplished”
• “Anyone that leaks will be fired”
• “This is not a fishing expedition. These are targeted wiretaps of international callers”

…And more. Get yours today!!

– From Unpredictable Issue #81

Cloud Risk: “The Hotel California Effect”

via Wal-Mart Considers Open Sourcing Hybrid Cloud Tools – The CIO Report – WSJ.

This Desert Life

You gotta love this. It’s a problem for customers, but cloud vendors love it. You move your data, maybe even your apps, and probably outsource most of your administration activities (making a big chunk of  your IT team “redundant”). The corporation achieves the dream of freeing itself from IT and making infrastructure a utility service. But then, the Cloud or Hosting vendor doesn’t meet SLAs, you don’t have the in-house talent to challenge them when they use technical excuses for long delays or missing capability. And you are stuck. Locked in. They call it “The Hotel California Effect”. Now what? Anyone with experience moving from one hosting service to another knows it can get real ugly real fast.

Wal-Mart may open-source tools that make such moves easier. Hop from one “cloud” to the next. And I’ll thank the Counting Crows and call that, “Mrs. Potter’s Lullaby“, to wit: “…You can never escape, you can only move south down the coast.“

Operate Like Airbnb and Uber with the New DNA for IT – The CIO Report – WSJ

“Similarly, the key to the next 20 years of enterprise IT is not to provide more and more technology, but to manage a platform that enables any application to exist in your environment.”

via Operate Like Airbnb and Uber with the New DNA for IT – The CIO Report – WSJ.

Thanks, Pat Brady. To paraphrase a source I can’t locate, I think you’ve got “the beginnings of the kernel of an idea somewhere in here”. I’d summarize your suggestion for Future IT as: “Manage a platform that enables“. But without more details for this hopelessly generic message to CIOs, some will probably figure they understand and use the slogan to promote bold initiatives to house traveling employees at Airbnb locations, and get to their destinations using Uber. Your “new” IT will enable users by “allowing” those apps on their mobile devices.

The “DNA” is “Awareness”, “Identity”, “Integration”, and “Insight”.
What? What are you saying? What “Awareness”? Really. This non-specific mumbo-jumbo is just a tease! You’d never get away with this kind of writing at the New York Times. But okay, maybe I’m missing something here…maybe this is just a “concept piece”, you’re talking to CIOs. They don’t want to be bothered with details.

Let me translate. Guys and Gals, you want your people to be more productive, creative, efficient. You want them to like the tools they use for work. You want the tools to work well together. You don’t want to waste your resources managing a bug-riddled platform with a swiss-cheese of security holes that performs like an exhausted dull-eyed old mule struggling on the trail up the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. My advice? Buy Macs. Use Evernote. Support iOS. And please find a way to keep that stuff from being hamstrung by your old legacy data and security infrastructure. If you can’t do that, then go ahead, you might as well promote Uber and AirBnB. Cause that’s all you’ve got left.